School Supply List Stupidity, A Shout Out to All Teachers, BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY

Okay, so I know someone who is putting her kid in school this year who would rather homeschool, but her man is anti. So she was discussing a couple of issues with me, and after talking to her about these things I realize that the school system in general is better off WITHOUT me as a school mom because I am so argumentative and logical about stuff that the SYSTEM would drive me insane. My skin is too thin on issues of general waste and stupidity! Here are a couple of her issues. Add your own to the Comments section!

1. Her son's class needs like 16 plastic folders because "they get beaten up each quarter" and they want to have a fresh set each quarter. This is kindergarten, folks. We are starting them out learning that plastic folders can just be tossed like it's no big deal. Office Depot has a sale right now that has PAPER pocket folders for ONE PENNY each. There is a limit of 10, but who says you can't send each member of your family in separately to buy them? When they get beaten up, you RECYCLE THEM. Novel idea for a school, I suppose.
2. Hand sanitizer is on all the school supply lists these days, as well. My friend says she isn't buying that because she doesn't want her kids using it. When do they use it, I wonder? After using the bathroom, you wash your hands. I get needing baby wipes for easy cleanup, but are we going to Purell the kids upon entering class every day and when returning from recess or what? Haven't these educators read about how we are killing too much bacteria with these sanitizers and are getting sicker in the process? We are bringing upon the opposite effect of what we want to happen.
3. I am sympathetic to teachers, believe me. I understand that they are often at the mercy of the principal, or the school board or other administrators who are so out of touch and clueless that is laughable. So teachers, I love ya, and I feel for ya. You are doing what you are told. You don't always want to teach this way. This isn't what you had in mind when you were in college. You might even want a less anal-retentive and repetitive way of running your classroom, but you are stuck. You need this job and you love teaching kids. And let's not forget how hard it is to teach 25 kids of roughly the same age who all learn in a different manner and at a different pace. It's a wonder any of us get out knowing anything.
4. School starts TODAY in my 'hood. With THREE WEEKS LEFT at the pools. Why can't we let the kids have like 2 extra weeks of summer? Why can't summer be a full June, July and August anymore? The first few months of school are mostly review anyway! Can't we find a way to combine the pool and learning, like paint ABCs and math facts on the bottom of the pool? Those who don't go swimming could do a few worksheets to refresh their memory before school started again in SEPTEMBER.

I'm just saying!